Yogurt

I've made yogurt a couple times before right after I got a yogurt maker. It was easy enough, so when when I dug it out of the cupboard I didn't bother looking up the instructions or recipes. Scald milk, add yogurt as starter culture, put in jars, turn on the yogurt maker (which keeps it warm enough to grow the culture) and wait 8 hours. I did all that but it just didn't look right. It was watery with lumps and looked like very curdled milk. after 8 hours it still looked like curdled milk. I threw it out.

For my next attempt I read the instruction manual for the yogurt maker. Scald milk and let cool to room temperature... oops! Whisk starter yogurt with small amount of milk at a time... oops (I just dumped it all in)! This time I decided not to scald the milk (according to the instructions you can skip this step if you leave it in the yogurt maker a little longer), but i did whisk the starter in. It looked right at this point. Don't move the yogurt maker, uh-oh, I needed that counter space, so I move it very carefully. I waited 10 hours but it was still runny. Hummm... I spooned some out for my daughter who has yogurt as a bedtime snack. It was so runny she had to drink it with a straw. It didn't look so appetizing but she didn't seem to mind, especially since she got a straw to play with.

Back to the instruction manual. What had I done wrong? Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving... oops! I put the rest in the fridge and hoped for the best. It firmed up a bit but still a little thinner than I would have liked and also not as sour as I like.

Now I'm left wondering why not just buy organic yogurt? Is it really better to make your own? I'd like to think that homemade is fresher, doesn't have any strange things added to it, and it is made with love.

So, for next time:
-scald milk
-let cool to room temperature
-whisk in yogurt starter
-don't move yogurt maker for full 8-10 hours
-put in fridge for at least 3 hours